PathAway Newsletter - Professional Edition for Android Released.

Here in Muskoka Canada we're enjoying one of the snowiest winters in recent years. My family embraces winter and enjoys cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice skating, tobogganing, and building snow forts! I layer up on the -20C days for my runs, and wear traction grips over my shoes. PathAway comes along with me to record my runs because I'm a stats freak and love to analyze my performance. We also love the security of having PathAway available to find the fastest way home from the bush after snowshoeing, or to guide us on the cross-country ski and snowmobile trails.

For me, PathAway is not all play. Recently I helped a contractor friend stake out an area for a home he was building. We have a lot of restrictions here on building placement within lot lines, and minimum distances from waterfront, so the builder wanted to initially ensure he was within the regulations before taking on expensive surveying.

PathAway for Android - Updates

Latest version: 5.78.02

PathAway development is ongoing. This year is an ambitious one as we intend to innovate with great new features to enhance your experience with the application. Of course smaller issues and bugs have been addressed and fixed along the way as well. Here's some significant improvements.

KitKat Ready

If you're upgrding to Android 4.4 KitKat, then PathAway is ready to go. We've tested on the Emulators for 4.4 as well as external Beta Testers. If you experience any issues on KitKat, please let us know and we'll address it right away.

Database Management Improvements

A lot of work has been done in the data management for Points, Routes, and Tracks. And even more to come. Its out goal to make PathAway the easiest App available for dealing with large amounts of this kind of data. Here's some of the highlights:

- Added a Tracks/Routes "Repair" option to fix database if corrupted. Occasionally we've seen data getting corrupted due to a system crash. There now is an option in PathAway to attempt to "Repair" the data. If you see garbled track or route lines, then try this command first.

Exit Confirmation

We've received a lot of feedback on how the App exits or goes into background mode. You've told us you want more control over this, and to prevent inadvertant extra "Back" key presses. So we've added an Exit Confirmation screen, that you can choose to leave the application or Cancel. If you have background tracking turned on and the GPS is currently actively tracking, then an option "Track in Background" is added.

Exit Confirmation is optional and can be turned on in the Settings->General dialog.

Note, when you press the Back key, in Android the app is not terminated immediately. It will be removed from memory when Android needs the memory for other apps (or when it feels like it), so the App is not "Shutdown" when it exits. It is consider bad practice to "Force the app to terminate completely". This could be done if our users demand it, but essentially it is considered "Crashing" the app. Let us know what you think.

Map Scale Dash Item

You may have noticed a new Map Scale display on the bottom right of a Map View screen. This is a new dash item showing the current viewing Map Scale. Thanks to you and your feedback for this. Of course you can change what's displayed here is well by editting the dash item using "Long Press" to bring up the Dash Item Dialog

Webmaps Magnification

If you're older (like me), then reading a map on a small screen can be difficult if not impossible. With the new HD screens, the pixel density is now much tighter and the text on these maps will be even smaller. So we've added a Webmaps "smart" magnification that detects high density screens and magnifys the map for easier readability. Try it out and let us know what you think. The maps may not appear as sharp due to the scaling, but the text will be more readable. Depending on the feedback, we may add an option in settings to allow you to control the amount of magnification on the map.

New Startup Screens

By now, you probably have seen the new Startup and News screens added in the latest releases. These screens have been added in order to provide better service by letting you know what's new, what's coming, and what's available to enhance your experience with PathAway. If you've purchased the App you can simply turn off these screens to ensure they don't pop up again. Note this is reset whenever you update to a newer version so you can see the latest news.

Google Play version now has PathAway Upgrades as In-App Purchases

If you've downloaded the App on Google Play, you can now upgrade without having to download another App. From the "What's New" screen, simply choose the "Upgrade" button for the Edition you want to purchase. Once your purchase is completed, the App will instantly display the new features of the upgrade. The purchase options are also available from the Settings dialog.

PathAway Q & A

Support Questions and Answers

Here are some of the questions we've been addressing recently.

Q. I have many PathAway maps (.prc). Can I import them into PathAway all at once, or do I have to Import one at a time?
A. In PathAway, the Data->Import command for maps simply copies the map from the source location to the default PathAway folder.
You can copy the maps yourself using Android's builtin "My Files" App. The default PathAway folder is the "<Device Storage>/PathAway" folder. You can also copy maps to the PathAway folder on any attached SDCard. Then when you run PathAway, the maps will appear in the PathAway Data->Maps dialog. In PathAway Professional Edition, in the Settings->Folders dialog you can also register your own folders for PathAway to look for maps in.

Q. Does this app. Give vehicle directions on highway to locations you are trying to drive to. A. No, PathAway is designed for non road driving. Navigation is supported either as direct straightline point to point, or along a multi-point route or previously recorded track log.

Q. How do I export my trip to google maps so I could do a fly through? A. To Export to Google maps, go into your Data->Tracks dialog, select the track, and choose "Export" from the menu. From the export dialog, Choose format KML or KMZ format. Once the Export is completed, locate the file and copy it to your PC and load it into Google Earth. Note, in the next update, we have added a "Share" option which will allow you to send the track directly to Google Earth, or other APP registered for KML, KMZ, or GPX files. (Such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Email)

PathAway GPS 5
Professional Edition

15 day free trial
or update current version

New for $49.95 U.S.
or Upgrade for $19.95 U.S.

* PathAway Professional Edition is available on Google Play as an In-App purchase in-app purchase from the Free, Lite, and Express Editions

PathAway GPS 5
Express Edition

15 day free trial
or update current version

New for $29.95 U.S.

* PathAway Express Edition is available on Google Play store as an App or in-App purchase from the Free and Lite Editions

Rate and Review

Why we need your feedback

So we hope you’re enjoying using PathAway.
If so, please take a few moments to post a 5 star rating and a quick review of PathAway on the
Google Play store, our forum,
Facebook, or via our feedback form.
Your reviews are what keeps the PathAway development going. Our goal is to continue to not only provide all the the great features seen on previous platforms,
but to extend the capabilities and usability of our app. We can’t do it without you. If you like the app, please tell the world.

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About PathAway

If you work or play in the outdoors, PathAway is the companion to take with you.

For Professional use: PathAway's powerful feature set makes it a great tool for mapping/GIS, mining, military mapping, surveying, site inspection, personnel training, education, telematics, field data collection, archeology, security, search and rescue, asset management, agronomy, or any application where location is important.